Genetic Information
& Crime Investigation: Social, Ethical and Public Policy
Aspects of the Establishment, Expansion and Police Use of the
National DNA Database,
by Robin Williams, Paul Johnson and Paul MartinThe
recent incorporation of forensic DNA identification technology
into the criminal justice systems of a growing number of countries
has been fast and far reaching. In developing and using DNA profiling
for forensic purposes many criminal jurisdictions across the
world have followed a common trajectory: from its case-by-case
use to support the investigation and prosecution of a small number
of homicides and sexual assaults, to the recovery of
biological samples and the comparison of DNA profiles as an
extensive and routine practice in the investigation of a wide
range of crimes including property and auto crime. Essential
to this development has been the introduction and expansion of
DNA databases or 'registers' which contain collections of genetic
profiles derived from biological samples lawfully collected from
widening categories of individuals. The National DNA Database
(NDNAD) of England & Wales is one such database.

This report provides an account of the NDNAD and its uses
that we hope will stimulate discussion and debate among and
across a range of stakeholders  including forensic scientists,
crime scene personnel, police officers, policy makers, and members
of the legal profession  who contribute to making the
NDNAD work and among other interested parties 
including human rights groups, academics, and bio-ethicists 
who respond to, and
sometimes influence, understandings and applications of this
forensic instrument. But we also hope to promote, in supplying
a comprehensive overview of the historical development, current
use, and potential changes in DNA profiling and databasing in
England & Wales, an understanding of the NDNAD beyond those
with a hands on interest in its use.

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view, nor does it seek to create one, the views expressed are
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